Document text
0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Police Reports Schneider Art Museum installation re-imagines Rivera UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit 10 things to know for Friday Education New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Cars We Remember: The original Candymatic Ramchargers Politics and elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Ashland Rowing Club hires highly touted coach and national-award winning team director to lead expansion Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Blazers fight back, edge Jazz Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory High school Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Southern Oregon University Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Voices Latest Stories Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Letters to the Editor, March 27 Editorial Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Ticket Availability The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque App Finder: Best barbecue apps Health Watch: It’s OK to have a cheat day Inner Peace: The good, the bad and the spiritual Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... ASHLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT Getting its balancing act together District attempts to tackle class-size issues in elementary schools Comment By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 8:36 PM By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 8:36 PM » Social News The parents have spoken, Ashland School District listened and now the big question is whether its resulting strategy will bring some order and balance to the district’s fluctuating classrooms. Based in part on input received from parents during a town hall-like gathering Jan. 29 at Ashland Middle School, the district has decided to alter the procedure by which it determines which zone transfer requests will be approved and which will not. The new formula, outlined on the district website (http://ashland.k12.or.us) and designed with an eye toward evenly spreading out students among the three public schools, also will affect how out-of-district transfers and middle-of-the-school-year registrations are dealt with. “Well, I think Ashland historically has had challenges with class sizes because of the small schools,” Superintendent Jay Hummel said. “So the numbers just kept creeping up and the parents were right. Some of the things that we’ve done to date were helping, but we agreed that we needed to back up and take a deeper, more thorough look at the issue.” The result of that deeper look was outlined by Hummel in a message posted on the district’s website: “We are proceeding with two changes in practice, both aimed at helping improve the learning opportunities for our students and maintain lower class sizes,” the message explains, “especially in the critical Kindergarten through 3rd grade years.” Both changes amount to gathering feedback from parents: • During parent-teacher conferences parents and guardians of kindergarten-through-fourth grade students will be asked to identify the school they prefer their child attends. “This information will give us a clear indication of the overall interest for each of our schools.” The message goes on to note that the district is not encouraging families to change schools and that if a parent’s first school choice requires a transfer there is no guarantee that that transfer will be approved. • The district will be asking all potential out-of-district open enrollment families to share which school or schools the want their children to attend next year, “with the written understanding that if we do not have sufficient students apply to warrant the hiring of an additional teacher, we will limit open enrollment based on class size goals and space available in our schools.” The district will now use those responses to help place students following registration for the 2015-16 school year in August. Students will then be placed based on a specific prioritization method which favors above all students who live in school zone and have a sibling currently attending that school. The next preference will go to students who live in the neighborhood zone, followed by students requesting a zone transfer who have a sibling in that school. Next on the list are students requesting a zone transfer who do not have a sibling in the requested school, followed by students from outside Ashland requesting an inter-district transfer and do have a sibling already attending. Finally, the district will consider students requesting an inter-district transfer who do not have a sibling currently attending. “We do not anticipate that these changes by themselves will solve all the complexities inherent in managing class sizes,” Hummel explained in the note, “however, when these changes are combined with additional strategies at the start of each year (possible adding and/or shifting of staff), and by exercising greater control of the initial placement of mid-year move-ins, we are confident we have more tools to work on the challenge, that will result in consistently lower class sizes.” The district’s effort to unravel its class-size issue began with a fact-finding mission of sorts spearheaded by Walker Elementary Principal Patty Michiels, who laid out the process during a school board meeting in January. The principals at each of the district’s three K-5 public elementary schools, as well as the principals of K-through-8 choice school John Muir School and K-through-8 alternative school Willow Wind Community Learning Center, each spent weeks gathering data to pinpoint exactly how many students attend their schools at each grade level and why: Did they transfer to be with a sibling? Did they live in the school zone? Data about these and other reasons were presented to parents during the meeting at AMS. Following the presentation, which included a PowerPoint (also available on the district website) and small-group sessions, parents were asked to prioritize the district’s criteria for placing students in the three public schools: Walker, Helman and Bellview elementary schools. Hummel estimates that about 75 parents attended the meeting and they got what they came for — another chance to talk about possible solutions to unbalanced class-sizes, and a look at the numbers. “Two or three things stand out,” Hummel said of the meeting. “One, our parents appreciate being involved in the early part of the decision-making process. We were very clear that night that we were attempting to suspend our judgment about possible solutions. So that’s a huge one. “Second … beyond ranking and prioritizing students, they also were interested in expanding into other options. But that night was mainly about looking at how kids are placed now and talking about how might we place them differently.” According to the principals’ 2015-16 projections, Helman, which was the most well-represented school at the meeting, according to Hummel, will be the fullest elementary school in the district next school year with 258 students. Bellview is projected to be a close second with 256 and Walker third with 242. Willow Wind is sitting at 120 students and John Muir 61. In terms of average class size, Walker is projected to be at the top of the list with 26.8 students per classroom, Helman second (25.8) and Bellview third (25.6). The largest single class in the district is projected to be the fifth-grade class at Helman (60), followed closely by the third-grade classes at both Helman and Bellview (both 57). Walker’s projected fourth-grade class is by far the smallest with 32 students. Joe Zavala is a reporter for the Ashland Daily Tidings. Reach him at 541-821-0829 or [email protected]. By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings DailyTidings.com By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Posted Mar. 5, 2015 at 8:36 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Fantasy Football Outlook for Bengals Stars Mar. 27, 2015 at 9:59 am Things DFS Players Should Never, Ever Do Mar. 25, 2015 at 8:31 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Lions Stars Mar. 25, 2015 at 8:29 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Redskins Stars Mar. 23, 2015 at 7:01 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Panthers Stars Mar. 20, 2015 at 8:17 am Fantasy Football Outlook for Texans Stars Mar. 18, 2015 at 8:45 am calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501